Long time lurker, first time owner. Happy to say I purchased my dream car 14 years after I was racing around Rockport City in one on the old Playstation 2.
It took a while to find the one I wanted without over paying but I was able to score a stock one-owner with maintenance records, garaged in the winter example from a private party. I had a PPI done in October when I first bought the car and it came back with a clean bill of health. I stowed the car away as I was busy with school and cold weather was approaching. Now I'm ready to get down to work and restore this car to it's old glory.

I'm knocking out the inspection II, belts and pulleys and cooling system refresh this week. Vanos is fine at the moment and the Subframe is clean but will get to bulletproofing those soon. RSMs were done at 75k, Shocks at 75k, Clutch at 90k and Continental DWS at 100k. The only noticeable mechanical issue is some play in the steering guibo, the on-center steering isn't as sharp as it should be so I'll be replacing that soon as well.

The interior is quite clean, no tears or cracks, just needs some rejuvenation. Nothing some steam cleaning and leather conditioner can't fix.

The exterior however needs work, one front indicator is cracked, driver side mirror glass is defective, both fog lights are cracked, and I need about $1,500 in paintwork plus some paint correction and wheel refinishing to be ready for car show season.

This is a relaxed project for me, I just want to enjoy the car. Just going for a back to factory fresh look and keeping the car healthy.
I probably log 3-4k miles a year as I take public transport to school, and bicycle around my area This car will mostly be used for driving Bear Mountain, trips up to the Vermont area and car shows. Next year I hope to prep for HPDE and autocross.

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Discussing mbcm3nj's 2002 Carbon Black/Cinnamon M3 6mt Coupe in the Member Journals Forum - Do you have a long term project you would like to share with the community? Use this forum to create a single thread which you can update over time to document the progress. at BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3 | F80/X)